If you’re a bacon lover, you might be wondering about center cut bacon compared to regular bacon. And whether one option is better than the other or whether they are basically the same.
This is a frequently asked question as many customers are unaware of these two different types of bacon. Or what makes them different and which type of bacon is preferred.
There are many different types of bacon to choose from in grocery stores today. Most of them are very similar with only minor differences.
So you might want to do your research if you’re looking to buy bacon but don’t know which type to ultimately choose. Especially if you’re trying to make a healthier option when making bacon.
Read on to find out the differences between middle bacon and regular bacon, and which is healthier.
What is the difference between center cut and regular bacon?
If you love to eat bacon, you might be wondering what the differences are between bacon in the middle and regular bacon. There isn’t much of a difference between these two types of bacon, as center cut bacon simply involves cutting off the ends.
Both pieces of bacon come from the same area of the pig, the pork belly, where all the bacon is located. Although it’s called Center Cut Bacon because the ends are cut off, resulting in you getting the center of each bacon piece.
Many people may think that these are two completely different types of bacon and come from different areas. But that’s not true, they only differ in a small way that makes center cut bacon less greasy than regular bacon.
So there really aren’t many differences between these two types of bacon when trying to decide between them. It just comes down to personal preference and whether or not you want the ends on your bacon rashers.
Most people won’t even notice if they’re eating one type of bacon on top of the other. Because the same taste and texture is there no matter what kind you ultimately decide to buy.
Bacon cut in half
Center cut bacon is a type of bacon that’s not very different from a typical rasher. It is not in a special area or goes through a different process before being sold.
It’s called center bacon because you’re going to get the center of the pork belly. Because the ends of the bacon are trimmed, these are usually just areas of extra fat.
This is done to make bacon in the middle a healthier option for those trying to reduce the bacon’s fat. As this is a very fatty meat that will break down when cooked making a less healthy meat option.
Although center cut bacon is not very healthy, although it has less fat than regular bacon. As it still has a lot of fat compared to other less fatty cuts of meat that you might otherwise buy.
Regular bacon
Regular bacon comes from pork belly and is cut into thin strips for easy cooking. These are often very fatty, with thick streaks of fat in the meat and in each piece of bacon.
Due to the fact that pork belly is included, bacon is considered quite unhealthy compared to other parts of the pig. Since when you eat bacon you will be consuming a large amount of fat and salt.
Unlike center-cut bacon, regular bacon doesn’t have the ends trimmed, giving you the full strip of bacon. This includes the excess fat that is usually found at the end of each bacon slice.
Center cut bacon is healthier
While there’s not much difference between center-cut bacon and regular-cut bacon, center-cut bacon is healthier. That’s because bacon is smaller in the center and contains fewer calories and less added fat.
By the manufacturers cutting off the ends of the pork belly before cutting the bacon into strips. So you get a healthier option if you opt for center-cut bacon.
However, it’s worth noting that this could be accomplished by buying regular bacon and trimming the ends yourself. As many of the health benefits could be achieved by cutting off excess fat and eating less bacon when cooking.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve seen center-cut bacon and regular bacon in stores, you might be wondering what the difference is. Center cut bacon differs only from regular bacon, and the ends are trimmed off, resulting in a less fatty bacon rasher.
While regular bacon has the regular slices of pork belly without the fat trimmed away. The result is fatter rashers that are also larger.
